Blustery Monday

First trip of the year...started around F&G cans without much luck. Picked up 1 after clearing up a first of the season tangled mess that got around the kicker motor prop. Great fun standing on the swim platform in 2-3 footers clearing tangled lines! Once i got things back in shape i moved to between South Bass and Kelly's closer to the monument and trolled on the big motor with bags to keep my speed at about 1.8, tough with the wind and waves! Caught fish on Bandits 25-60 back until the wind really picked up and couldn't read the boards! Perch color and blue/silver seemed to be the best. Finished with 6 fatty's in the box, lost 3 at the boat and had 4 come off on the retrieve...waves didn't help the cause. Looking to get back out again this Friday and Saturday!

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Originally Posted by huntnfish

First trip of the year...started around F&G cans without much luck. Picked up 1 after clearing up a first of the season tangled mess that got around the kicker motor prop. Great fun standing on the swim platform in 2-3 footers clearing tangled lines! Once i got things back in shape i moved to between South Bass and Kelly's closer to the monument and trolled on the big motor with bags to keep my speed at about 1.8, tough with the wind and waves! Caught fish on Bandits 25-60 back until the wind really picked up and couldn't read the boards! Perch color and blue/silver seemed to be the best. Finished with 6 fatty's in the box, lost 3 at the boat and had 4 come off on the retrieve...waves didn't help the cause. Looking to get back out again this Friday and Saturday!

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We battled the waves yesterday for a 2 man limit. 80 back was the ticket.

We struggled with the waves, with only 2 of us on the boat. I am ordering an autopilot system!

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Originally Posted by huntnfish

We struggled with the waves, with only 2 of us on the boat. I am ordering an autopilot system!

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Auto pilot is great but when the waves get big, it struggles. I have hydrolic on my 25’ Trophy with a 5.0 mercruiser and 3-4’s are about the max depending on how close they are. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t trade my auto pilot for anything. Just want to say it will struggle about the same time a human struggles.

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Originally Posted by huntnfish

We struggled with the waves, with only 2 of us on the boat. I am ordering an autopilot system!

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I don’t know how I survived without my autopilot. If the winds are too bad I throw out bags to help stabilize the boat. I have to increase rpms on the kicker but we get blown around a lot less.

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Originally Posted by Eyezcrazy

I don’t know how I survived without my autopilot. If the winds are too bad I throw out bags to help stabilize the boat. I have to increase rpms on the kicker but we get blown around a lot less.

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Hey Jim glad to see you fished, I installed auto pilot in my boat a few weeks ago, can't believe I waited so long to do It. It did fine in 2 to 4's with an 5 now and then going into them had to keep the speed around 1.8 to 2 I don't think it would work going slower. The hardest part of the install was converting the cable steering to hydraulic helm pump.

I am definitely getting autopilot. With 2 guys on the boat it is tough to clear lines, reel in, net and keep the boat on course. I ordered a Lowrance Elite-9 Ti2 GPS/Fishfinder (my old stuff was not NMEA2000) so i can get everything talking once i get the backbone installed. I am waiting on a new Yamaha 9.9 25" shaft too, that i will wire into the system. Right now i use a Mercury 9.9 2 Cycle and the autopilot is me sitting on the stern and steering with my foot!